Watashi to Hoden (First Press Limited Edition)(Japan Version)

Split evenly by two discs, Watashi to Hoden features the side tracks from every Ringo single and mini albums to date arranged in chronological order. Disc one starts off with the cool Suberitai (Disc 1, Track 1), a bass-driven rock track that embodies Ringo's early pop days. Since this is a compilation and not an album, it quickly loses its energy with a cover of Cyndi Lauper's Unconditional Love (Disc 1, Track 2). Arranged by current Tokyo Jihen member Seiji Kameda, Ringo's cover strips away the song's late 80s pop influence and puts Ringo's powerful vocal against a simple strings-driven arrangement. As a result, her vulnerable-but-tough vocal becomes the star of the song, making for an unusually sweet track from the rock star.

Ringo's love for late 80s/early 90s pop continues with her jazzy cover of No Kind of Love, originally by Susanna Hoffs (who also covered Unconditional Love as well) and renamed Rinne Highlight (Disc 1, Track 5). The jazzy facelift doesn't concentrate on the vocals, but instead sports an upbeat arrangement that gives a contrast against the bitter English lyrics. Another cover comes at the end of Disc 1, as Ringo and Kameda combine both jazz and rock for the oft-covered Can't Take My Eyes Off of You (Disc 1, Track 11). The result isn't as fun as the 60s rock-and-roll Frankie Valli's original, but the loud guitar arrangement and echo-modified vocal all give the song a modern rock-and-roll flavor that makes it a worthy, though not necessarily noteworthy, cover.

Ringo doesn't only sing in English for cover songs, though. Watashi to Hoden features four tracks written in English by Ringo herself. Sigma (Disc 1, Track 8) features Ringo's first foray into rapping, with lyrics such as "I am not your possession/not another toy for the boy/weary of your direction/tired of your desire to control" effectively showing Ringo's angrier and unromantic side (especially when it was coupled with the considerably more romantic Gibusu at the time). Despite poor grammar, Ringo later shows her quieter side with the poignant 17 (Disc 1, Track 10), a mid-beat rock track closer in style to British pop than the usual Ringo-style musical hybrids. Inspired by Janis Ian's At Seventeen, the lyrics convey the bittersweet emotions associated with being an outcast at 17. Ringo's English writing skills would improve later on with la salle de bain (Disc 2, Track 8), the slower and darker English cover of Yokushitsu from Shouso Strip with an elegant arrangement that deviates far away from the electronic style of the original.

Since the compilation covers 10 years' worth of music, Watashi to Hoden covers a variety of genres that Ringo has explored over the time period. As expected, rock is the dominant genre, and the standouts include the brooding Remote Control (Disc 1, Track 3), which features the typical Ringo brand of angry rock. The compilation also includes an entire section from the out-of-print mini-album Zecchou Shu that is so bombastic that one could become exhausted trying to listen to the entire thing at once. However, the first track of the section, Merou (Disc 2, Track 1), is a gentler mid-beat rock-pop ballad that serves nicely as the theme song of the compilation. It also includes a more experimental Shiina Ringo with the piano-driven Toki ga Bousou suru (Disc 1, Track 7), which features seemingly freeform drumbeats in addition to solo piano in the background to intriguing effect.

There are many terms that can apply to Shiina Ringo, and Watashi to Hoden proves that "lazy" is definitely not one of them. However, with the dense release schedules Japanese record companies demand of their artists, it's actually not too surprising that a Japanese artist can store this much unreleased side tracks. While much of the album is not quite up to par with the tracks that Ringo has included in her albums (though some of the songs do appear her albums as alternate versions), they uphold much of what Ringo fans love and have come to expect from her music. At a price that's only a fraction of the combined price of all the singles, Watashi to Hoden is the best kind of fan service available - the kind that gives the fans more than what they pay for.

Recommended Tracks: Suberitai (Disc 1, Track 1), Unconditional Love (Disc 1, Track 2), Rinne Highlight (Disc 1, Track 5), Toki ga Bousou suru (Disc 1, Track 7), 17 (Disc 1, Track 10), Merou (Disc 2, Track 1), la sale de bain (Disc 2, Track 8)

by Kevin Ma